By Rep. Mike Reynolds Attorney General Drew Edmondson has adopted an apparently schizophrenic approach to enforcing Oklahoma law based on his actions in two very similar cases, state Rep. Mike Reynolds said today. Reynolds noted that Edmondson has taken opposite stances when it comes to issues involving the death penalty and the initiative petition process. "Where is this attorney general coming from?" asked Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City. "Is he following a discernible legal principle, or just his political preferences?" On the issue of the death penalty, Reynolds noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to the use of lethal injection in executions, which opponents argue amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. In response, Edmondson has asked the state Court of Criminal Appeals to defer executions until the high court has ruled. But in a similar case pertaining to a state statute requiring petition circulators to be residents of Oklahoma, Edmondson has not adopted the same standard. The organization Yes on Term Limits is appealing a recent ruling and the case is now in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Nevertheless, on Oct. 2, Edmondson indicted three persons involved in last year's ballot initiative to limit state spending, also known as a Taxpayer Bill of Rights or TABOR. Read more...

Labels: Drew Edmondson, Paul Jacob TABOR, Rep. Mike Reynolds

Posted at 10/08/2007 11:53:00 PM